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vendredi 31 mai 2013

Night's Watch

The timepiece was inspired by the HBO epic's intricate opening credit sequence.

If Game of Thrones is rooted in endless battles for power and strategy, surely any number of Lannisters and Targaryens could use a status watch?

Fans of HBO’s lust-and-sword spectacle can now wear their allegiance
on their wrists, thanks to a just-launched timepiece designed by
Swiss-based watchmaker Ulysse Nardin. Debuting this week in New York at
HBO’s store at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue and at Cellini Jewelers’
Madison Avenue location, the limited-edition “Night’s Watch” marine
diver is crafted in stainless steel and matte black rubber, styling
meant to evoke the uniforms worn by the black-clad military order from
which the timepiece takes its name. The strap is inscribed with “The
Night’s Watch” and “I am the Sword in the Darkness” on each side of the
45.8mm case.
The watch is the brainchild of Nelson Lucero, vice president of sales and marketing for Ulysse Nardin; a Game of Trones fan,
he reached out to HBO’s global licensing and retail divisions once he
realized that the show’s opening credit sequence, which depicts cities
and castles rising from a map via the use of gears, reminded him of a
watch mechanism. The timing, Lucero says, was fortuitous. “HBO was
looking for unique ideas for this show, something that felt more
upmarket,” he says. “T-shirts and the other licensed products you
typically find didn’t seem to fit the bill for such an upscale show.
From our point of view, we thought the demographics of the show aligned
with our demographics.”

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Ulysse Nardin crafted only 25 numbered pieces of the $10,500 watch in
its Swiss workrooms, where Lucero discovered other fans of the show.
“When I first announced the project to our board of directors, I was
surprised by all the amazing feedback,” he says. “It was the first time I
realized the show had a worldwide following.” Beyond its New York
placement, Lucero says he plans to make the watch available at 10 key
Ulysse Nardin accounts throughout the U.S. (in southern California, at
David Orgell in Beverly Hills). In the realm of watch production, the
“Night Watch” enjoyed a rather speedy process from concept to
completion, roughly six months from the initial conversations in order
to take advantage of season three timing, Lucero says. “I’d love to do
second or third editions, and have more time to plan and design,” he
says, noting that watches can sometimes take four years or more from
concept to launch.
Lucero adds that only 21 or 22 pieces of this model are actually
available, as the first “three or four” have been promised to HBO execs,
he says. So if you’re a Game of Thrones fan and a watch aficionado, get ready to do battle.